Dhaka, August 20 (QNA) - Bangladesh's National Parliament on Thursday elected ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir as the country's new president, making him the 23rd president of the republic.

The 78-year-old Alamgir won 255 votes against 88 for his sole rival, Oli Ahmed, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party.

A total of 343 of 349 eligible lawmakers voted, while six abstained.

The election was the first contested presidential vote in Bangladesh in 35 years.

It followed the resignation of former President Mohammed Shahabuddin last July for health reasons. The BNP returned to power after winning the February 2026 parliamentary elections, with Tarique Rahman serving as prime minister.

The president-elect is scheduled to take the constitutional oath on Friday. (QNA)